1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improvement in the Bulk Syrup Delivery System disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 543,846, filed Oct. 20, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,573, which concerns a system for the bulk delivery of syrup to an account, and more particularly pertains to an integrated system for delivering a plurality of different flavored syrups to an account such as a fast food retail establishment which uses and dispenses those items in heavy volumes.
The improvement of the subject invention concerns a three way vent and pressure supply valve designed to be utilized in the bulk syrup delivery system, particularly in an account building terminal housing associated therewith. When the terminal housing is closed, as during normal system operation, a source of pressurized gas, such as a carbon dioxide tank or cylinder, is coupled to supply pressurized gas to each syrup container for the pressurized delivery of the syrup. Upon opening of the terminal housing, as during a syrup delivery operation, the valve is shifted to a second position wherein the source of pressurized gas is disconnected from the system, and instead the system is vented to atmosphere to vent any pressurized gas therefrom.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Soft drink syrups, such as cola syrups, flavored such as grape, lemon, root beer, syrups for diet drinks, caffein free syrups, etc. are currently delivered to accounts which dispense and sell those products in individual transfer containers or tanks, typically in five gallon volumes. A full five gallon transfer tank weighs approximately sixty pounds, and accordingly the delivery of these transfer tanks to user accounts typically requires a substantial amount of manual labor in a time consuming and labor intensive delivery operation. The transfer tanks are delivered to accounts, such as fast food establishments and restaurants having fountain service, by a delivery truck equipped to store and handle both full and empty transfer tanks.
The driver of a delivery truck of this kind must carry empty transfer accounts from the commissary area of an account and load them onto the delivery truck, and must then unload full tanks from the truck and transfer them to a commissary storage area at the account. This labor intensive operation requires a strong driver, which often restricts the type of personnel capable of making these deliveries.
A delivery operation of this nature is quite time consuming, and a very efficient delivery person can deliver possibly seven hundred and fifty to one thousand gallons of syrup per day. Moreover, the delivery person frequently has other responsibilities to be carried out at an account, such as the delivery of other account related items such as carbon dioxide tanks, paper cups, etc.
This type of prior art delivery system requires a sizable investment in transfer tanks, and also requires a substantial amount of manual labor by personnel at the account. The account personnel must periodically disconnect empty transfer tanks and reconnect full tanks in their place. Moreover, this replacement operation must be carried out in a sanitary manner, and new O rings must be installed on fittings during the connection of each full transfer tank.
A prior art delivery system of this nature has other problems associated therewith such as pilferage of syrup from partially full containers. The commissary areas of accounts also require a substantial amount of storage area for both full and empty storage transfer tanks, and these commissary areas are frequently maintained in a disorderly and unkempt manner.
A field of prior art somewhat related to the present invention exists with respect to the delivery of petroleum products, such as heating oil and gasoline, from tank delivery trucks. However, these prior art systems typically deliver to a home or station through a single passage delivery hose, and are not concerned with sanitation and other related problems of syrup distribution system analogous to the present invention.
Bonnard et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,124 is somewhat of interest to the present invention by disclosing a multicompartmented tank truck for use in the petroleum industry for the delivery of what are known as white products and brown products. White products include gasoline, while brown products include diesel fuel, kerosene etc., and mixing or contamination of the two products must be avoided or reduced to a minimum. In the disclosed arrangement, contamination between the two types of products is minimized by using separate meters and delivery hoses.
Weston et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,000 is also somewhat of interest to the subject invention by disclosing a multicompartmented tank truck wherein the tank compartments have separate delivery lines leading to a distributor or junction box which has valves for routing the delivery from any compartment to either one of two outflow lines, but not both simultaneously. A manually-operable selector is coupled to the distributor valves to enable valves corresponding to selected tank compartments to be opened in an arrangement wherein the manner of opening of the valves can be selected in advance so that each tank compartment is connectable through the distributor to only a particular one of the outflow lines.
Billington et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,161 is also somewhat relevant to the present invention by disclosing an arrangement in which a tank delivery truck is loaded from a bulk storage tank for the delivery of various flammable petroleum products. The disclosed arrangement includes a plurality of check valves which are provided for safety reasons in the event of an inadvertent rupture of one or more of the filler and vapor return flexible hose lines.
A commercially available system for the delivery of carbon dioxide to fast food establishments is also part of the known prior art. However, this system is somewhat analogous to the aforementioned petroleum delivery systems in that a single compartment insulated tank truck delivers carbon dioxide through a single hose to an insulated carbon dioxide storage tank in an arrangement which does not require the delivery person to have cryogenic skill.
However, none of the aforementioned fluid product delivery systems disclose a multiple product delivery system utilizing a multichannel delivery concept similar to the present invention, and none is concerned with the sanitation and other related problems of a syrup distribution system analogous to the present invention.